A Quest Across The Apocalypse
by BTips
Summary: A year after the battle of Hoover Dam won because of the Courier, a new story unfolds when a mysterious man wanders out of the quiet Vault 23 and into the burning sun of the Mojave in search of his missing vault dwellers.
1. Where'd They Go?

A Quest Across the Apocalypse

Chapter 1: Where'd They Go?

Brian woke and began to sit up slowly, being careful not to look into the bright lights on the ceiling of his room. He shifted his body around, putting his feet onto the cold marble floor of his room. His vision slowly coming back to him as he stood up on his feet slowly, being careful not to stumble forward. He walked over to the mini fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. He closed the fridge, opened the bottle, and downed some of the water quickly to quench his need for liquid. He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a bag of Potato Crisps. He opened the bag and took one out putting it in his mouth and chewing on it. He took the bottle of water and potato crisps over to his desk and sat down and began to turn on his computer. He put his password in and began looking through the files seeing if there was anything new going on in the Vault. He was surprised to discover that there was nothing going on since the Overseer is always posting something whether it was a problem or if it was about some big accomplishment in his life. He stood up from his chair and walked to the door of his room as it raised open as he walked up to it. He looked down the hallway wondering why there wasn't any commotion. He quickly went back into his room and threw his Vault 23 jumpsuit on. He picked up his Pip-Boy 3000 and locked it to his left arm. He pushed a button turning it on as he saw the little Vault Boy do a waving gesture before it switched over to the Pip-Boy menu. He walked out of his room and began down the hallway. He began calling out for any signs of life: "Lisa!" "James!" "Shawn!" When he got no answer he walked up to the door at the end of the hallway which lead him into the central meeting area where a majority of the vault would get together and socialize. Brian was not one for socializing so he normally stayed in his room. He did talk to people on few occasions when he was in the mood but he mostly spent his days in his quarters. He looked up at the giant bubble shaped window of the Overseer's office. "If anyone is gonna know what happened, it's him" Brian said as he began walking toward the Overseer's office. He was surprised as he walked up to the door to his office it opened so easily. He advanced in slowly and looked around not seeing any signs of him. He walked up to the Overseer's terminal and began accessing his databanks. He was lucky enough to know the Overseer's computer was already on so he didn't need a password to access his files. "This breaks so many rules but if something happened to the residents then I guess rules won't apply here" Brian thought to himself as he scrolled down, seeing the Overseer's Log. He noticed the most recent Log was yesterday, around the time he went to sleep. He copied the Log to his Pip-Boy and scrolled to the Holotape part of the Pip-Boy to listen to it. He pushed the button as the Overseer's voice came up.

"Log: 124b-685: I was thinking really hard about actually letting the citizens of the vault. I believe it's high time we actually get out to see the world as it really is but I also believe that doing so would create panic in the vault. I want them to be free but we are unaware of any sign of life outside so I don't know if it's a good thing to release the fellow vault goers. I'll spread the news to the people and see how they react. Overseer Tom out."

Brian looked down at his Pip-Boy with so many questions flowing through his head: "Why wasn't I notified about some meeting?" "Did everyone leave the vault without telling me?" He turned the Overseer's computer off and walked back to his room. "They always said leaving the vault was a 'Shot-if-opened' rule...why did the Overseer choose now to open it?" Brian thought to himself as he sat down on his bed. "Maybe...I should leave too...No sense in staying in a vault alone" Brian said to himself as he pulled out a Duffel bag and began putting needed things in such as fresh bottles of water, food, and medical supplies. He reached under his bed and pulled out a box containing a 10mm Pistol and a couple clips of ammo. "Dad gave me this for my 15th birthday. He believed it was a mistake since I would probably never need it but I have no idea what I'm going to find out there so I'll have to bring it. I guess I'll practice before I do though" Brian said to himself as he took out the gun and a clip of ammo. He placed a couple of empty water bottles on the stairs leading to the second floor of the meeting area, each bottle on a different step. He aimed carefully and managed to shoot 2 out of the 3 bottles he placed. He didn't wish to waste too much ammo so he put the gun in a holster that was under the gun in the box. He attached the holster to his waist and went back to his room grabbing the few clips of ammo before putting the box back under the bed. He stuck the clips of ammo into a compartment on the other side of the holster and picked up the Duffel bag slowly, putting it over his arm as he began advancing toward the Vault entrance. Brian wondered what the outside world would hold in store for him or he would be shot on sight the moment he walked out. He decided to continue toward the door thinking of all the people he knew and kind of cared for. He may not have been a socialist but that didn't stop him from actually considering them close since they were all meant to stay in the vault as a family. When his parents died from radiation exposure from studying on how to cure the radiation outside, he always felt like the citizens of the vault would always be there if he needed someone to talk to. He was determined to find them and to get some answers.

He finally made it to the Vault door to find out it was slowly opening as he got there. "This vault was only made to auto-open if someone programmed it...did someone program the vault door to open for me the moment I got here?..." Brian questioned that thought for a little while before advancing out the door. He walked to the end of the cave-like tunnel as he reached a wooden door that looked bared up on one side, and burnt on the other side. He slowly moved his hand to the door and sighed softly. "No backing out now" Brian said as he finally pushed the door open, the sun hitting his face as he slowly opened it.

_**Well that was Chapter 1! If you like it I will continue making chapters on our vault dweller and all the future adventures he is destined to have! Please review and let me know how was it was as a first chapter and please keep reading because this is a project I've been thinking about doing for a while now and I really want to see how far I can take this story.**_

**THANKS TO BETHESDA AND OBSIDIAN FOR MAKING 2 AWESOME GAMES AND GIVING ME IDEAS FOR A STORY OF MY OWN!**


	2. One Boone, Two Raiders

Chapter 2

Brian stepped out into the Mojave sun and the grueling humidity of it's miles of desert landscape. He pondered how someone could possibly live out here in this kind of condition. He then noticed a rusted chain link fence separating the vault from the outside world. He walked up to the gate cautiously and noticed the door was no longer there. "Did the rest of the vault use the gate to get out?" Brian thought to himself as he stepped out to the other side of the gate. Brian looked at his wrist and turned the knob on the Pip-Boy to the Map section. He noticed that the only dot on the map was the vault since he has not "discovered" any other locations. "No sense in sticking around here if I'm going to find the others" Brian said to himself as he trailed on into the Mojave desert. About an hours walk he managed to spot a giant dinosaur in the clearing. He began heading toward it until he heard chatter coming from behind him.

"You better watch your mouth before I shut it for you" One voice said.

"I'd like to see you try it asshole" The second voice said.

Brian spotted a huge boulder close to him and he quickly ran behind it.

"Wait...did you hear that?" The first voice said.

"What the fuck you talking about?" The second said.

"There's someone nearby...and when there's someone...there's always something on them worth selling for caps" First voice said.

"I think your fucking delusional from the heat" The second voice said.

"Just fucking trust me on this" The first man said.

Brian could hear guns being loaded and cocked, ready to be fired. Brian pulled his 10mm out of the holster and pulled the top back to make sure it was ready to be fired. Brian's heart raced as the footsteps got closer, merely seconds from walking toward the rock.

"Check that side of the rock, I'll check this side" The first man said and their footsteps parted to both sides of Brian now.

"Fuck! If they were together I may have had a chance to take em both out" Brian thought as he shut his eyes and concentrated. One of the men appeared behind him and screamed "GOTCHA!" and raised his weapon. But the moment he did, a shot went off but it was not from either of the men.

Brian saw one guy go down next to him as the second guy looked out to where the shot was fired. Brian heard another shot and looked in front of him as the second man fell stomach first into the dirt. Brian wondered if he was going to be next to be shot so he held his pistol out toward the direction of the gun firing and screamed "If your going to kill me then do it now! I'm armed!"

"If that's your excuse I may as well shoot you now, now get up" The mysterious man said.

Brian slowly rose to his feet and noticed a man wearing a red beret come toward him. "Who are you?" Brian called out to him.

"Former 1st Recon Craig Boone, but most people call me Boone for short. What's yours vault stranger?" The man said.

"My name is Brian Hunter, I'm from Vault 23" Brian said Boone.

"What's a vault dweller doing roaming around Novac?" Boone asked him.

"I woke up this morning and the rest of the vault was missing, I wonder if they ended up leaving or...I just need to find them and make sure their OK" Brian said.

"Only person I seen with that vault jumpsuit wasn't from a vault, and that was about a year ago." Boone said.

"Wasn't one of mine, we've never left the vault...until just recently I guess" Brian claimed.

"Well seeing your jumpsuit I'm going to assume your not a bad guy. Now if your going to look for your friends I imagine you'd need to be prepared. That pistol won't do you much good again various creatures that roam the desert." Boone told him.

"Well I don't have any money so I couldn't just buy a weapon." Brian told him before Boone pointed at the two dead men on the floor.

"Loot the equipment they have on them. Their dead so I don't think they will mind you taking it." Boone said.

"It wouldn't be right if I took something off a corpse" Brian said.

"Look kid, out here it's survival of the fittest so unless you get better equipment, your not going to make it to the next town." Boone told him.

Brian sighed and turned to one of the men who had a 10mm Submachine Gun and about 30 extra 10mm bullets. He also discovered the man had a box of Blamco Mac and Cheese in his coat pocket. He walked over to the second man and found a Single Shotgun on his back with about 5 20g shells on him. He put the shotgun on his back and stored the ammo in the ammo compartment in his holster belt. He discovered about 20 bottle caps on him as well.

"Why would a killer be carrying around bottle caps?" Brian asked Boone.

"Bottle caps are the currency in most places nowadays. You aren't going to get any real gear unless you have bottle caps so take those with you and hold onto them. Most raiders, like those two there will kill for caps, guns, ammo, and anything they can use or sell." Boone said, almost depressingly.

"You don't seem to like raiders very much" Brian said as he scooped up the bottle caps and stored them in a little pocket of his Duffel bag.

"Well no one likes raiders but a particular group of raiders, the Caesars Legion, took my wife and sold her to be a slave...I was forced to kill her to prevent her from suffering any longer..." Boone said, almost defeated.

"I'm sorry to hear that" Brian said.

"Normally I'm not open to tell people this kind of thing, but this other kid...in a vault jumpsuit, convinced me that I had to stop living in my own shadow and move on. She said it wasn't my fault for her death but I know it is deep down." Boone said looking at Brian.

"You couldn't have known, I'm sure you would have done anything you could to prevent her from being taken." Brian said, trying to cheer him up.

"You know...that kid told me the same thing...In a way, your both pretty similar." Boone told him.

"I guess I'll consider that a compliment" Brian said grinning.

"Come on, before more raiders show up, we should probably head on to Novac where another sniper, Ramirez is watching over the town. I'm sure we can find you a place to stay for the night while you figure out where to head next to look for your missing friends" Boone said as he and Brian began moving down the road toward the giant dinosaur, to the town of Novac.

_**Well there's Chapter 2 folks! I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I will continue making chapters as long as you, the community, continues reading! Thanks again for reading!**_


	3. Brian's Time In Novac

Chapter 3

Brian walked behind Boone as he was led into Novac. He looked around noticing a stack of houses, as well as an apartment complex with a couple doors boarded shut. He turned and saw a stairway leading into the giant trashed up dinosaur.

"That's the Dino Bite Gift Shop. Mostly people go to trade for goods and medical supplies when the trading caravans come to re-stock the shop. The owner Cliff Briscoe encourages people to buy his stupid miniature dinosaurs but only one person has purchased one, and that was the Courier" Boone told him as they ascended the stairs into the store.

"Boone! Welcome back! Can I get you anything?" Cliff asked him as he walked in.

"Not right now Cliff. Brian this is Cliff Briscoe, the shopkeeper, Cliff this is Brian Hunters, a vault dweller from Vault 23" Boone said, introducing them.

"Oh, a vault dweller, and from the mythical Vault 23 huh? Impressive that anyone actually lived in those vaults anymore." Cliff said leaning on the counter.

"I probably wouldn't have come out here if I wasn't here on a mission to find out where my people went" Brian told him.

"Well I haven't really seen any other vault dwellers, the only person I've seen in a vault jumpsuit was the messenger kid" Cliff said to him.

"The Courier girl right? Is she famous or something?" Brian asked him, not knowing who the Courier was.

"Boone could probably explain better then I but from what I hear, the Courier is the Mojave's hero. She and Boone took care of an entire base of Caesar's Legion, which pissed old Caesar off." Cliff said laughing.

"Before the Courier came around, I was just a night watch sniper keeping Novac safe from Fiends and Raiders. But the Courier persisted that I tagged along with her since she didn't want me to just spend my life worrying over my wife." Boone told him.

"So this Courier girl is like some kind of hero then?" Brian asked.

"When she came to Novac, we traveled around the Mojave, fighting large Radscorpians, Deathclaws, doing odd jobs for money and helping people with supply gathering." Boone said, going back to when he and the Courier would travel from different locations, meeting different people.

"Wow, so why didn't you stick with her?" Brian asked again

"The Courier decided it would be best if I stayed here since she was traveling with some caravan's to a place called New Canaan." Boone told him.

Brian opened his Pip-Boy to look up New Canaan but could not find anything on it.

"Odd, my Pip-Boy doesn't have the location marked." Brian said lowering his arm.

"It's in Utah, I'm sure your Pip-Boy won't register the location unless your there. I've learned this stuff from the Courier since she was learning how to use a Pip-Boy when I met her. She just got it from Doc Mitchell in Goodsprings, as well as the jumpsuit she told me." Boone said.

Brian opened his Pip-Boy again and noticed Novac was marked on his Pip-Boy now. He figured Boone had to be telling the truth since the location registered as he walked into it.

"So Cliff, the vault kid here needs a place to stay for the night." Boone told him.

"10 caps for a night, if you want an actual room it will be 100 caps" Cliff told them.

Brian remembered he had 20 caps in his pouch. He was about to reach in for them before Boone dropped a little bag on the table.

"Here's 50 caps, plus I threw in a couple of those blue stared caps you like so much" Boone said, dropping the bag onto the counter.

"Boone your a good man, a good man indeed" Cliff said opening the bag and counting the caps, putting the 2 blue-starred caps into a special drawer under the counter. He reached down and grabbed a key to one of the rooms, putting it on the table.

"First floor, first room on the left" Cliff said putting the caps into the cash register.

"Thanks Cliff, appreciate it" Boone said taking the key and handing it to Brian.

"You bought me a room? I could have just payed for a night or two" Brian said taking the key and looking at it.

"Well you don't know how long you are going to be out here, you don't want to take a chance with the harsh Mojave desert. At least you'll have a place to store any guns, ammo, etc that you collect during your travels. Keep it on you at all times." Boone told him.

"Thanks Boone, I appreciate this a lot. Even if we just met, I'm still grateful" Brian told him with a smile on his face.

Boone led Brian to his new room. Brian opened the door and looked around.

"Well it's not as clean or as tidy as a vault room, but I guess it's better then sleeping outside." Brian said walking in, putting his bag and holster down on a nearby chair. He walked over to the bed and sat down slowly, liking how comfortable it is. He laid back against it and shut his eyes.

Boone picked up the shotgun Brian collected and looked at it, making sure everything on it worked.

"You have to be careful with your firearms in the Mojave. Use them too often and they will begin to break. You'll have to collect another gun like it to fix it with parts. This shotgun seems like it's in decent condition so you should be fine. Since your 10mm came from a vault I'm going to assume that it's in good condition so you should be fine." Boone said putting the shotgun down.

"Better get some rest, tomorrow I'm going to begin searching for my people" Brian said shifting his body around so his head was on the pillow and he begin drifting to sleep.

Boone laughed to himself seeing how easily he fell asleep, reminding him of how the Courier would always pass out in her apartment room upstairs from all the times she finished a mission. He left the room and went to his room and grabbed his Sniper Rifle, getting ready for his night shift on sniper duty.

Brian woke as the sun shined off of the broken window, reflecting into his eyes. He woke slowly and gathered his things. He made the Mac and Cheese he took from the raider yesterday and quickly ate it, aware of the small radiation inside of it from his Geiger counter going off in his Pip-Boy. He threw the empty box in the trash and put the duffel back over him and put the shotgun on his back, making sure his holder is on tightly. He walked outside, making sure to lock the door behind him and he made his way out of Novac. He wanted to tell Boone thanks for everything he's done for him but he remembered he worked the night shift so he was probably resting. He walked outside and noticed Boone standing there, sniper on his back and he was wearing some kind of army outfit. Brian walked over to him.

"Boone what are you doing here? I figured you'd be sleeping from doing night patrol" Brian asked him.

"Well I figured you may need a helping hand out here since you have no clue where to go, you may die of thirst or a bullet wound to the head if you don't have someone out here to guide you." Boone told him.

"You saying your going to travel along as my companion? Won't the Courier need you if she comes back?" Brian asked again.

"The Courier is a big girl, she can take care of herself. She'll find me if she needs anything major." Boone told him.

"Well, I guess I do need someone to direct me so welcome aboard Boone" Brian said with a grin.

"It will be just like Deja-Vu when I helped the Courier. Perhaps you'll learn a thing or two with me out here" Boone said as the two of them began walking down the broken concrete.

_**Chapter 3 is done! I'm sorry if this isn't so action packed but this introduces Boone as a Companion to Brian's group and so the action will get more intense knowing there's a strong sniper in the team! Thanks again for reading and I hope you continue reading!**_


	4. Attack of the Cazador's

Chapter 4

Brian and Boone were about a mile out of Novac as they headed North.

"Where are we heading?" Brian asked Boone as they continued their walk.

"To the 188 Trade Post, one of the only fair trading spots left in the Mojave, plus I'll introduce you to Veronica, one of the other girls the Courier would take with us. She used to be from the Brotherhood of Steel, a tech-loving group of soldiers that try to scavenge technology that's usable, not caring who dies in their way while they obtain it." Boone told him.

"You want to see a picture of the Courier? It's amazing to say that some of the Pre-War cameras haven't been completely destroyed just yet." Boone said sliding a picture out of his pocket and handing it to Brian.

Brian looked at the girl in the photo and was amazed that she looked close to his age. She stood there with a smile on her face next to Boone and some dog robot thing. Brian continued looking at the Courier noticing the vault jumpsuit on her.

"Wow, she looks like shes around my age." Brian said handing the picture back to Boone.

"She is 21 now I believe. She was 20 about a year ago when we first met. That dog you saw, his name is Rex. He's a dog that belonged to the Kings, a group of weird-looking gang members that control Freeside, the local city that cuts The New Vegas Strip from the rest of the Mojave." Boone said.

"I've never seen a robot dog before. I'm assuming he was a companion to the Courier as well?" Brian asked.

"Yep, he was good at sniffing out loot for the Courier to use in her travels." Boone said as they passed by Helios One.

"What building is this?" Brian said looking up at the giant structure.

"This is Helios One, it was made to power the Mojave with solar energy. The Courier and I ran around trying to fix the machine for the NCR but we only managed to start it up. We figured we'd leave it alone before we ended up making it worse" Boone said.

"Who are the NCR?" Brian asked.

"The NCR are what you'd consider a normal military. Before I left, we were the strongest force in the Mojave before Caesar's Legion appeared. We battled them at Hoover Dam twice and the first we drove the Legion back. The second happened about a year ago and the Courier chose to end the fighting by driving the NCR and the Legion out of the Mojave. It hurts to see my friends leave but it's for the good of the Mojave." Boone said making sure his beret was on the right way.

"Wow, this Courier girl has the power to stop two armies from controlling this 'Hoover Dam'?" Brian asked, shocked at how one girl could end fighting and bloodshed.

"That Courier is a special woman Brian. Maybe you'll meet her sometime and she could help you find your friends" Boone said.

"To be able to help so many people. I wouldn't mind meeting her someday" Brian said as he pictured him and the Courier standing in front of each other, shaking hands and making introductions with each other before Boone grabbed him and threw him off the road.

"Ahh Boone what are yo-" Brian was cut off by Boone's hand.

"Shh...I hear more raiders...Get your pistol out...We may need to fight." Boone said looking out of the cover and putting three fingers up, telling Brian that there are three men coming their way.

Brian pulled out his 10mm and got ready for when he needed to fire. Boone took out his Sniper Rifle and leaned out of cover slowly to get a clear shot on one of the raiders heads. Boone pulled the trigger and the bullet penetrated right into the middle raiders skull, killing him instantly. Brian quickly jumped out of cover and began firing at the raiders managing to pierce both of their chests with two out of three shots. Boone ran in while they were distracted and pulled out his Machete, stabbing the first wounded raider in the chest, then quickly sliding out and stabbing the other raider through his throat. Both raiders fell and the blood began coating their lifeless bodies.

"Brian go over and loot them. Maybe they will have more ammo for your guns or possibly something worth using." Boone said wiping his blood stained Machete against one of the raiders to clean the blood off.

Brian went over to the first raider with the bullet wound to the head as he began searching his body. He managed to find 30 bottle caps, about 15 10mm bullets, and a pocket knife, which he kept in his pocket in case it was needed. He walked over to the second raider and searched him, finding 10 20g slugs for his shotgun, 15 bottle caps, and a bag of Potato Crisps, which he threw into his duffel bag. He walked over to the last raider and found a couple .308 rounds, 20 bottle caps, 10 .357 rounds and a Cowboy Repeater.

"If you don't mind, I'd like those .308 rounds, they go to my rifle." Boone said, asking for the bullets.

Brian handed the .308 rounds to Boone as he put the .357 rounds, and the 65 bottle caps into his duffel bag. He put his 10mm into the holster and picked up the Cowboy Repeater.

"A rifle huh? I could get some pretty distant shots with this" Brian said as he held onto the repeater as they walked.

"Good shooting back there, was glad you jumped out when you did otherwise they would have most likely shot me." Boone said as he reloaded his rifle with the shots Brian gave him.

"Between all the help you've given me so far it's the least I could do." Brian told him carrying the Cowboy Repeater over his shoulder.

"When we get to the Trading Post, we'll see if we can't get you some armor, your vault jumpsuit won't help you out here against Mutants or deathclaws" Boone told him putting his sniper on his back.

"What are deathclaws? I can't imagine they're some kind of harmless creature with a name like that." Brian said.

"Deathclaws are probably the strongest, fastest, and most aggressive creatures you'll find in the Mojave. Deathclaws normally stay in groups but just one deathclaw alone can destroy an entire caravan with ease. They are not creatures to be taken lightly and it's pointless to run since they will catch you. Best bet is to either find something high to climb on, or to risk fighting them. The deathclaws in the East are claimed to be weaker then the ones out here in the Mojave due to the fact there are more ferocious breeds out here. Let's hope we never run into any as we travel." Boone told him with a serious look on his face.

"Wow, they sound like some tough creatures." Brian said.

"Believe it or not, the Courier did a quest for some lady in Freeside to retrieve deathclaw eggs. Now with any eggs, there are mothers there to defend it with their lives. The Courier walked into their territory and walked out with a batch of the eggs." Boone told him.

Brian's was amazed To believe this girl had the power to stop 2 warring armies from destroying society, but she was able to take on the supposed strongest creatures of the Mojave and live. Brian couldn't comprehend it.

Brian and Boone continued walking North when Brian heard wings flapping.

"Uhh what's that sound?" Brian said turning his head to where the sound of the wings are coming from, seeing some huge bugs flying toward them.

"Cazadors! Run!" Boone said as they both began running down the road.

A group of cazadors, both large and small, began flying at them. Boone took out his Sniper Rifle and quickly turned around and nailed one of the cazadors close to them. Brian, remembering he had the Cowboy Repeater in his hand, aimed down the sights and pierced one of the cazador's wings, sending it to the ground fumbling around. Boone put another bullet into the larger cazador but at the cost of getting stung by one of the smaller ones in the chest, sending him onto the ground in pain. Brian quickly pulled out his pistol, throwing the Cowboy Repeater to the ground and shot the remaining cazador's with 10mm shots, wasting a majority of the 12 shot clip. Brian quickly ran over to Boone who was pulling out a strange vial and opening it, pouring it onto his chest piercing.

"Ugh I hate cazadors...Those fucking bugs are very poisonous and if your not carrying anti venom, your fucked." Boone said getting up slowly, groaning in pain.

"Jesus, those things were fucking huge..." Brian said helping Boone up by his shoulder.

"We must have passed by the cazador Nest...It's a sign that we're almost at the 188 Trading Post." Boone said picking up his Sniper Rifle from the ground.

"You going to be OK?" Brian asked, offering to help him walk the rest of the way.

"When the anti venom kicks-ugh-in, I'll be fine." Boone told him as he held the part of his chest that was in pain.

"Jesus Christ...let's hope we don't run into anymore of those things on the way there..."Brian said as he picked up his Cowboy Repeater and put his 10mm pistol back in his holster.

"Well let's move before more show up." Boone said as they began to walk slowly up the road.

"I bet if the Courier was here, she'd take these things out easily huh?" Brian asked him as they walked.

"The Courier has been stung by them quite a lot, but she's always carried anti-venom on her. She hates those things more then ceathclaws." Boone told him, chuckling a bit.

Brian used his hand to cover his eyes from the sun as he noticed smoke in the distance.

"We're close, usually smoke is people burning stuff in barrels to make a fire, the Mojave can get pretty cold at night." Boone said.

Boone and Brian continued walking down the road unaware of a group of armor wearing soldiers were watching them over the cliff side.

"Elder McNamara, we spotted another kid wearing the vault jumpsuit, should we apprehend him?" One of the soldiers asked, waiting for orders.

"Another kid in a vault jumpsuit hmm? Negative Paladin Hardin, continue watching him first, find out what he's after before making a move." The Elder told him.

"Roger Elder, Hardin out" Hardin said over his radio.

"Could it be a vault dweller or is he the same as her...Very intriguing." The Elder said to himself as he sat quietly in his office.

**CHAPTER 4 COMPLETE**

_**I know it took awhile to make this but I was busy so I decided to make it a lot longer then then past 3 chapters to tide you over until Chapter 5 is released. Thanks for reading everyone!**_


	5. Assault on the Trading Post

Chapter 5

Boone and Brian continued up the street until they passed by some traders.

"We're here, feels good to be around other people doesn't it?" Boone asked Brian.

"Beats being chased by those flying bastards" Brian said happily agreeing with him.

Boone began to laugh as a hooded lady wearing an odd metal arm came up to them.

"Hey Boone, long time no see. No longer traveling with the Courier anymore?" The girl asked him.

"Hey Veronica. You know how she is: When she travels out of the Mojave we're not allowed to come since we may 'get hurt'." Boone told her.

Veronica raised her head as her face was more noticeable in Brian's eyes. She looked a little older then him but she certainly wasn't ugly. She was actually pretty attractive in his eyes. Brian couldn't help but wonder why she was wearing the odd garment though.

"Who is this Boone?" Veronica asked, looking at Brian curiously.

"Oh, Veronica this is Brian Hunter, he's from Vault 23, he came out here to figure out why the rest of his vault has vanished." Boone told her, introducing both of them.

"Nice to meet you , my name is Veronica Santangelo. I'm a former Brotherhood of Steel Scribe. you may call me Veronica." Veronica said to the vault dweller.

"Nice to meet you as well Veronica. You can call me Brian. Boone is correct in saying I'm a loner vault dweller looking for the rest of his vault. Have you seen any?" Brian asked her.

"Can't say I have. Though I'm sure if anyone is going to notice anything, it's the Vegas Strip. If any of your fellow vault goers have left the vault they may have ended up there." Veronica told him.

"You must have seen it while we walked here: the large lights, the huge buildings. That's the Strip. People go there to gamble their money away and drink to their hearts content." Boone told him.

"Sounds like my kind of place if I wasn't in need to find my vault" Brian said chuckling to himself.

"The Courier would always go there to gamble or a quick drink. It also has hotels with actual beds so your not always sleeping on the ground." Veronica said.

"Well if I plan on finding the vault, I guess we'll have to try there." Brian said looking over at the huge buildings in the distance.

"Luckily it's not too far, but as with any area in the Mojave, you need to be prepared. Freeside is a dangerous place full of drug addicts, looters, and thugs. We may need to get you some better equipment" Veronica said as she inspected Brian's current gear carefully.

"I've been pretty good with the gear I have so far" Brian said tightening his grip on his duffel bag.

"For now, but you'll need better equipment soon. Luckily your at the 188 Trading Post so you'll find almost anything you need here. We got armor, guns, and food traders who will trade caps or other goods for whatever you need." Veronica said looking around.

Brian tried to recall how many caps he had in his bag.

"If you need anything let me know, I'm friends with the people here so I can probably get you a discount" Veronica told him.

Brian couldn't help but smile. He's only known Boone for less then a day and he's only known this Veronica woman for maybe 10 minutes tops and they were both helping him out. Brian has always heard stories of people shooting others and asking questions second. He's happy knowing he managed to find a group of people he was able to interact with without having a gun in his face. Just as he was about to say something he heard someone scream close by.

"Help he stole the Purified Water I had in stock!" A woman screamed from a makeshift food-stand.

Brian figured if he could make help out, he may as well start now. He took after the water thief and tackled him over from behind, restraining him as the bottles fell out of his hands.

"Get off me you asshole!" The man said.

"Stealing isn't really allowed here according to that woman you just took from. I'll let you go if you wish to leave empty handed" Brian said holding the mans arms down.

"Fine! I'll leave them here! Now get the fuck off me!" The man screamed.

Brian got off of him but picked him up and pushed him away from the water. The man took off running as Brian began dusting off his jumpsuit. He picked up the bottles of water and brought them back to the woman.

"Thank you so much stranger. We weren't going to get another stock of water for another week or so." The woman said, putting the water back on the shelves.

Brian walked back over to Veronica and Boone.

"Sorry, I just had an instinct to step in and do something" Brian said.

"Small stuff like that is fine but you may want to choose when you play hero carefully." Boone said.

"Oh relax Boone. When he ran at that punk it was like watching the Courier play hero" Veronica said laughing quietly.

"But the Courier has done this a lot longer then he has. Nothing against you Brian, I'm just being truthful." Boone said.

"It's cool. I've already known what I signed up for the moment I left the vault. I guess there's no going back until I find the rest of the vault." Brian said.

"Speaking of the Courier, have you heard any news of her recently?" Veronica asked.

"Last I heard, she went somewhere called Zion Valley with a group of caravaneers." Boone said.

"And how long has it been since she's been gone?" Veronica asked Boone again.

"About a week. I met up with Brian here yesterday and it took me a couple days to walk back to Novac. I was on my way home when I ran into Brian here preparing to fight off two raiders." Boone said.

"Well I hope she's OK. She can hold her own but since we've become friends, I can't help but be cautious" Veronica said.

"I'm sure the same goes with everyone she's been companions with." Boone nodded agreeing with what Veronica said.

"If you guys want to go check on her I can head over to the Vegas Strip and hopefully find my vault" Brian said.

Both Veronica and Boone shook their heads.

"It's nothing to worry over. Besides, you won't last long out here without me since you'll have nowhere to go if you don't find them at the Strip" Boone said.

"Plus, the only way into the Strip is if you have a ticket. The Securitrons won't allow passage unless you either have 2000 caps, or a ticket to get inside." Veronica said.

Brian pummeled through his bag and began counting up his caps.

"I only have about 95 caps...Shit!" Brian said in frustration.

"It's ok, the Courier didn't have that kind of money when we went to the Strip anyway. She had someone make her a fake pass that still worked with the Securitrons." Veronica said.

"Does he charge any caps to get a fake pass done?" Brian asked.

"Yes but I could probably lower the price with my feminine charms." Veronica said winking to Brian, making him blush slightly but then he was dumbfounded.

"Wait, your saying you're planning on coming with us?" Brian asked her.

"Sure, can't have you two running around getting shot at and me trying to explain to the Courier on what happened to Boone here." Veronica chuckled.

"I can hold my own you know..." Boone said irritated.

"You need a ladies touch in the group, and I'm your girl. Cassidy would have joined but you guys are a little too far from the NCR Mojave Outpost so I guess I'll have to do" Veronica said.

Brian smiled at knowing he had a second companion to aid him in his search. He wonders if he'll ever get a chance to meet the mysterious Courier before he goes back to his Vault. Just when he was about to tell her that he'd appreciate the company, he heard gunshots going off.

"NCR PUSH FORWARD!" One NCR soldier screamed.

"THEY ARE GETTING CLOSER TO THE TRADING POST!" Another soldier screamed.

"What's going on?" Veronica asked. Boone and Brian had the same question in their minds as they saw lasers and gunfire in the air.

"The Brotherhood are coming! But why? I thought we made a treaty with them!" Brian heard a soldier say.

"The Brotherhood are coming here? We're on peaceful terms with them!" Boone asked getting his sniper out.

"Boone wait! Let me talk to them and see what's going on!" Veronica shouted trying to calm him down.

Before anyone was able to move, the three of them were knocked unconscious. Last thing Brian saw before he went out cold was his body being picked up by a heavy armored person.

**CHAPTER END**

_**well it's been awhile and I apologize because I've been busy working and busy playing Dead Island on my Xbox 360. But I'm still writing and I will continue writing! This chapter opens up the first in what I hope to be many action styled chapters. What's planning on happening to Brian and the group when they come into contact with these armor wearers? Find out!**_

_**Please Rate and Review, it helps the motivation. Thanks for reading!**_


	6. Inside The Brotherhood Bunker

Chapter 6

Brian opened his eyes slowly and quickly shut them, seeing a bright light in his face.

"He's awake sir." One voice said.

"Good, clear the lights Ramos" Another voice said.

"Yes sir." Ramos said, as the lights were removed from Brian's sight so he could finally open his eyes.

"Wh-what's going on?..." Brian asked, still a little drowsy.

"I apologize for the inconvenient place of conversation vault dweller, I figured we couldn't engage conversation if we were in NCR territory." The voice said.

Brian was able to open his eyes finally seeing the man who was speaking to him. He noticed a middle aged man in a long blue robe. Next to the man was a soldier in what looked like an armor of steel. Brian tried to move but he quickly realized his hands and feet were tied up to the chair he was sitting in.

"Sorry, where are my manners? My name is Elder McNamara. You are currently being held in a Brotherhood of Steel bunker. Care to respond with your name?" The Elder asked him.

"It's not really starting conversation if your 'guest' is tied down to a chair" Brian told him.

"Quite right. Ramos if you will?" The Elder turned to Paladin Ramos who walked up to Brian and landed a hard right punch into Brian's gut, causing Brian to cough out blood from the intense force into his chest.

"I really dislike using violence for unnecessary means but I dislike smug lowlifes." The Elder told him calmly.

Brian spat out a small drop of blood and looked up at the Elder.

"Why am I here? What did I ever do to you guys?" Brian asked, getting irritated and angry.

"We tend to keep watch in the Mojave for any sign of pre-war technology that we may be able to fix and use to our advantage. Given your little vault suit there, I figured you came out a vault, one of the many pre-war advances that the War hasn't destroyed. Since you don't look radiated or hurt, I'm guessing your vault has not been touched by the bombs. Why don't you be a good sport and tell me where I can find this vault of yours so I can claim the technology inside of it hmm?" The Elder asked him calmly.

Brian gritted his teeth and spat a speck of blood into the Elder's face, causing Ramos to send another hard blow into Brian's chest, forcing more blood to be coughed out.

"I will not...Tell you where it is...I'm out here to find my people...and to return there...I will not have you trashing or destroying it just...so you can get what you want..." Brian said in between coughs.

"I'm kind of sorry you said that. I figured you were going to be as open-minded as that Courier woman I had the pleasure of doing business with a year ago. She worked with me to get what I needed in exchange the Brotherhood and the NCR would no longer quarrel. However, since the battle of Hoover Dam is long overdone, I see no reason to uphold this treaty anymore." The Elder told him.

"Where...are Boone...and V-" Brian asked but was cut off with another punch.

"The NCR ranger and the scribe traitor hmm? Well I figured if I wasn't going to get anything out of you, I'd work the magic on them instead. Since I've taken a liking to Veronica for being one of my most valuable scribes, I plan on going easier with her. But I cannot say the same for the two of you. Now tell me where the vault is or I'll make sure Ramos' next punch isn't so light." The Elder asked him again.

"Blow it...out your ass..." Brian said chuckling weakly.

The Elder sighed and walked over to Ramos.

"Make it hurt..." The Elder said as he left the room. He continued down the hall as he heard loud screams from the room he was just in.

Veronica figured since she knew these people the most, she'd have to convince them to let her, Boone, and Brian go. She quietly leaned on the wall waiting for who she suspected would be Paladin Hardin. She guessed correctly as the Paladin walked into the room.

"Veronica, why did we catch you hanging around with a vault dweller? You should have come and told us. Hardin told her.

"And a fine hello to you too Hardin. Why would I tell you guys about him? He didn't do anything to you guys, just let him go." Veronica told him sternly.

"I cannot, it's under McNamara's orders that he remain here until we find Vault 17. We have Paladin Ramos getting the information out of him as we speak." Hardin told her.

"What about Boone? He's an NCR ranger, this is breaking the treaty the Courier set between the Brotherhood and the NCR" Veronica told him.

"'Former' NCR Ranger. In any case, the Hoover Dam battle is over, we no longer need to be so keen with the NCR. We have continued back on our initial assignment and that's to gather the technology. We will get the information out of that vault punk even if we have to break every bone in his body until he gives it up.

"He is just a kid who is looking for his friends and family! Give him a break Hardin! He doesn't have anyone to accompany him! I was going to help him find his vault!" Veronica said, raising her voice a little.

"I'm sorry Veronica! It's out of my hands! If you wish to have a one on one with McNamara then I can see if I can schedule it. Until then it's no longer my concern." Hardin said turning around and walking out of the room.

Veronica sighed stress-fully. She hated knowing they were forcing information out of a kid who was just looking for his family. She tried to think on what Boone or the Courier would do at a time like this. She knew she needed to help them but she didn't know how to get either of them out of here without being shot on sight. She then noticed someone open the door to her room.

Boone stepped in all bloody with bruises around his chest and arms.

"Boone! Oh my god are you OK?" Veronica said, glad he was still alive.

"Yeah...I've had worse...Do you know where they are keeping Brian?" Boone asked her.

"I think I heard one of the Paladin's say he was down the hall, last door on the right." Veronica said.

"I'm going to go get him...I heard screams while I was in that godforsaken torture chamber. I have a feeling that whatever they did to me, they did ten times worse to Brian." Boone said about to leave the room before Veronica stopped him.

"I'll go too, I'm partially responsible for Brian being here...I should have seen this kind of thing coming." Veronica said lowering her head.

"Don't worry about it, all that matters now is getting our stuff, grabbing Brian, and getting out of here." Boone said.

Boone and Veronica slowly walked out into the hallway and crept down the hall, hoping no soldiers walk toward them. They heard Brian make another scream before the screams stopped. Both Boone and Veronica's hearts skipped a beat thinking Brian may be dead. They ran to the room and found out it was locked.

"Damnit! We can't get in!" Boone said angrily but quietly.

"Allow me" Veronica said as she pushed in a specific part of the door and it opened, revealing Ramos preparing to step on Brian and he laid unconscious on the ground.

Boone ran in and tackled Ramos over, punching him in the face but was hit in the face by Ramos as well. They continued fighting as Veronica checked on Brian.

Brian laid out cold for what seemed like hours but was only mere minutes. He looked up slowly seeing Veronica's face but he could hear Ramos and Boone grunting in the background. Brian got up slowly as he raised his foot and sent in down on Ramos' face. He continued stepping on his head until Ramos went unconscious from the head trauma to his face.

Brian helped Boone up slowly as both of them were badly hurt.

"Jesus you look like shit Brian" Boone said.

"Takes one to know one" Brian said grinning weakly.

"You didn't end up giving them the information did you?" Veronica asked him.

Brian shook his head and Veronica smiled.

"I'm sorry Brian, I shouldn't have let them beat you to a pulp like that." Veronica said getting depressed.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just get out of here before they come back...Where did they store our stuff?" Brian asked.

"It should be in the storage area, I'll grab your stuff, you guys just begin heading down the hall, you'll see a flight of stairs going up toward the surface. Get as far away as you can and hide somewhere. I'll find you guys when it's all clear." Veronica said.

"Are you sure Veronica?" Boone asked, Brian thinking the same thing.

"Think of it as a way for me to say I'm sorry. Go now!" Veronica said, pushing them gently out the door as they quickly shambled to the stairs, using whatever energy they had left.

Boone and Brian managed to get outside of the bunker and Boone led them out of the gates. They took cover behind a huge rock just as they began hearing the door to the bunker open.

"You guys must be in bad shape if you guys can only make it a couple feet from the base." Veronica said as she was holding Boones rifle and Brian's duffel bag. She threw the gear to both of them as they stood up slowly to save energy.

"How did you get out?" Boone asked her putting the rifle on his back.

"Simple. I told Elder McNamara that Hardin was conspiring against him to take his job. While he was busy setting up the firing squad, I grabbed the stuff and left. I doubt we'll have a lot of time before they notice you two are gone." Veronica said pulling out two needles.

"Boone I know your aware of Stimpacks so take one" Veronica said throwing a Stimpack to Boone.

"Stimpack? I've heard of those down in the vault but I've never seen one" Brian told them.

Veronica took the cap off the needle and quickly thrusts the needle into Brian's chest. Almost immediately Brian felt the pain his body begin to go away as he felt his energy return to him.

"Stimpacks are your ultimate cure out here in the Mojave. They will heal almost any wound you may have. It's best to carry some on you at all times. We're close to Goodsprings so you can probably ask Doc Mitchell about them." Veronica said.

Boone, standing up after injecting himself as well, pointed toward the path where Goodsprings is.

"Before we leave, I just have to ask Brian, what did Ramos do to you down there?" Veronica asked, concerned.

"He turned my stomach into a goddamn punching bag. I'll make sure to return the favor before I end up going back into the Vault." Brian said, clenching his fist.

"Let's hurry out before the Brotherhood realize we're gone" Boone said as he began jogging through the pathway, Brian and Veronica following behind him.

Courier's POV

"You sure you can't stay? The Sorrows and the Dead Horses could use all the help they can from everything that happened." Joshua asked her.

"You guys seem fine now that we put an end to Salt-Upon-Wounds. I'm sure you and Daniel will make sure the two tribes work in unison to rebuild everything that's happened." The Courier told him.

She waved him goodbye and set out on her journey through the cave to Zion Valley, back to the Mojave Wasteland.


	7. Preparing For The Strip

**Brian's POV**

Brian, Boone, and Veronica successfully made it away from Hidden Bunker and are currently on the road toward Goodsprings.

"Man I can't believe we got out of there" Brian said sighing in relief.

"Those Stimpacks are handy but I can still feel the endless punches to my face." Boone said, nodding in agreement.

"You guys are babies, I told you I'd get you out of there and I did" Veronica said calmly walking next to them.

"You weren't the one who got their insides rearranged by an armored fist..." Brian said groaning, remembering the past couple hours.

"You'll live, let's just focus on getting to Goodsprings" Veronica said.

"We should be able to see the town pretty soon" Boone assured them.

"Good, I need a rest. So far I've been kidnapped and beaten to a pulp with only little information on the rest of the vault." Brian said.

"Well when we get some medical supplies we'll head toward the New Vegas Strip, staying as far away from the Hidden Bunker as possible." Veronica said.

"No offense Veronica but if we run into anymore and they fire at us, I won't hesitate to fire back" Brian said with a serious tone.

"You can try, but they wear metal for a reason Brian" Veronica said chuckling at his threat.

**Courier's POV**

The Courier sighed happily as she finally made it back into the Mojave Wasteland. She looked around taking in the familiar sights, seeing the New Vegas Strip in the distance.

"May as well go to the Lucky 38 and rest up before I find Boone and the others." She said to herself as she made her way toward the Strip, unaware of a group of people watching her from a far.

She made her way around the gate to reach the front entrance before he she heard gunfire in the distance. The Courier quickly pulled out her new pistol, A Light Shining In Darkness and jumped behind a rock for cover, hearing bullets hit the rock.

"Come out Courier! We're here for blood for the death of Caesar!" One of the men said.

"More of the Legion remnants huh?...Well..." She quickly jumped out of cover and put a couple bullets into a couple of the Legion's heads, hearing their bodies hit the ground as she went back into cover. She heard footsteps so she quickly jumped up and emptied the rest of her clip into the remaining Legion members. She wiped the sweat off her head and smiled, putting the gun away and quickly looting any ammo, caps, or needed equipment from their bodies.

"Now, time to go rest." She said heading into Freeside.

**Brian's POV**

"Oh thank god, we're finally there" Brian said smiling weakly seeing the town right in front of him.

"You weren't the most fit in your vault I'm assuming?" Veronica asked him.

"Not really, I was actually pretty lazy, my father was the more fit one, despite all he did was research. I was more of a tech person so I always stayed in my room." Brian told her.

"Well it would explain a lot right now" Veronica said to herself.

"what was that?" Brian asked her.

"Nothing! Just glad we're here" Veronica said smiling.

Brian looked at the town carefully, trying to take it all in. He thought the place looked like crap but what didn't out in the Mojave?

"Come on, Doc Mitchell is up on the hill" Boone said pointing toward a white house which appeared slightly damaged.

Brian, Boone, and Veronica walked up toward Doc Mitchell's place and knocked on his door. They were greeted by an old man who seemed to still be walking around OK.

"Hello Doc Mitchell, it's been awhile" Veronica said.

"Yes, hello Veronica, and a friendly hello to you too Boone. How is the Courier doing?" Doc Mitchell asked.

"She's doing fine, off on another of her own solo adventures outside of the Mojave." Boone told him.

"Well I'm glad she's still alive. Who is this?" Doc Mitchell asked looking over at Brian.

"This is Brian Hunters, he is a vault dweller from Vault 23 who is looking for the rest of his vault" Boone told him.

Doc Mitchell's eyes widened.

"Wow, another vault dweller in the Mojave? It's a pleasure to meet you, as they have said I am Doc Mitchell. I'm sort of the doctor for this town" Doc said, shaking Brian's hand.

Brian shook his hand back.

"Doc, is there a chance we can get a couple sets of stims? We're planning on heading toward the New Vegas Strip" Veronica asked him.

"Normally I'd charge for the Stims but since you two are friends with the Courier and your helping this lost vault dweller find his family, I'll give you guys a pair of stims. Just...don't die before being able to use them." Doc Mitchell said handing everyone five Stimpacks.

"Wow, thanks Doc I promise these won't go to waste" Brian said sticking them in his duffel bag.

"The Mojave is a cruel place if your not careful so make sure to listen to these two while you travel. They know how the Mojave works." Doc told him.

Brian nodded his head and held his duffel bag tightly.

"Sadly since we're not taking the route through the Hidden Bunker, we'll have to take the long way to the Strip, and that means going back to Novac." Boone said.

"Your not serious. There's no other route we can take?" Brian asked, hoping for an alternative.

Boone sighed and shook his head.

"It would involve us climbing over a lot of rocks with no hope of landing on the other end, it's dangerous and very risky. Our best bet is to go through Novac and head North" Boone said.

"Didn't we see those huge fucking flying things while we were leaving Novac?" Brian said nervously.

"Sadly yes, we passed by the Cazador Nest on the way toward the Trading Post" Boone said.

"Well...if you wanted to risk going through deathclaw territory you can go through Quarry Junction and head north from there. it's faster then just going to Novac" Veronica said.

"Brian has never seen a Deathclaw before Veronica, going through Quarry Junction is suicide" Boone told her.

"I was just making a suggestion, no need to bite my head off over it" Veronica said.

"What do you think Brian? We're following you so we'll go where you go." Boone asked him.

"Let's take our chances with the Deathclaws...If we get there and move as quietly as we can, maybe we can bypass them." Brian said confidently.

Boone sighed to himself.

"Fine, we'll stay here for the night and go into Quarry Junction tomorrow." Boone said.

**Courier's POV**

She laid in her Lucky 38 suite in her own bed as she shut her eyes slowly, enjoying how comfortable it is to be back in a normal bed.

"I hope Boone and the others aren't getting themselves into trouble" She thought to herself.

"When I wake up I'll head back to Novac and find him." She said to herself as she drifted off to sleep.

_**Thanks for reading! I apologize if it took so long to make this chapter I've just been having writers block plus I made some changes to the previous six chapters that I hope makes more people read. **_

_**Please Review if read, it means a lot to me.** _


	8. A Meeting with the Courier

After weeks of extensive traveling, Brian, Boone, and Veronica made it to Freeside. They entered through the gates and looked around.

"Wow...this place looks homey." Brian said casually as he looked at the ruined buildings as they casually strolled down the street.

"Only some of these buildings are being used, the rest are too far destroyed to even bother salvaging." Veronica told him.

"This place looks like the locals will mug you for all your collectibles." Brian noted.

"Actually-" Boone was going to say something before noticing a group of people run at them with tire irons and pool sticks.

Boone quickly grabbed his machete stabbing at one of the people, Veronica, with her metal fist gauntlets, punched one of the men so hard he ended up coughing up blood as he collapsed onto the ground. Brian quickly avoided an oncoming hit from a pool stick, managing to grab the pool stick from the guy and then using it on the owner, breaking the stick over his head forcing him to collapse onto the ground.

"Some welcome party..." Boone said in his mutual tone.

"What do you expect out of Freeside, these people are striving to get by, it's basically the opposite to those from the Strip." Veronica said calmly.

"Speaking of, weren't we heading over there?" Brian asked them throwing the remains of the pool stick onto the ground.

"Considering the front Securitrons know us, we may be able to let it slide that Brian is a companion to the Courier, then we can get in for free." Veronica told them.

"Companions are allowed free access if the Courier has a pass into the Strip?" Brian asked her.

Veronica nodded "She figured no one's asked yet so maybe we have a shot"

Boone looked over at her "and if it doesn't work?"

"Then we'll think of something else! Jeez I don't see you two coming up with any ideas!" Veronica said crossing her arms.

"Don't look at me, I just got here." Brian said.

Boone just shrugged "Fine, let's try it I guess"

The trio walked up through the bus-gates into the second section of Freeside, listening to girls on the corner advertise about the local bars and stores ranging from great drinks to great women. They walked up to the Securitron guarding the gates to the New Vegas Strip.

"Pass required, or 2000 caps needed to enter the Strip" the Securitron pointed out.

"We are companions to the Courier, allow us passage" Veronica told it.

"Visual has detected a new male in the group, is unknown personal a companion to 'Subject: Courier' as well?"

"Yes, he wishes to see the Courier and to gamble till he ran out of caps" Veronica said, lying about the Courier part since she had no clue if she were here or not.

"Very well, enjoy the Strip" the Securitron said as he rolled to the side.

The gates to the Strip began opening in Brian's eyes, lights covering the night sky and fancy people walking around chatting about local things with rich suits and dresses on. He looked in front of the Gomorrah, noticing a group of attractive looking women dancing in front of the casino, probably as an advertisement to join in.

"Wow...this place looks awesome. I'm surprised with so many lights every creature within a 2 mile radius hasn't taken an interest in this place" Brian said fascinated with the Strip's layout.

"A lot of creatures have tried, which is why this place is armed to the teeth with Securitrons. Come on, we should probably go see Yes Man, he runs the place when the Courier isn't here." Boone said as they began walking toward the Lucky 38 casino.

They took an elevator up to the cocktail lounge where they noticed a creepy smiling picture on a large computer screen.

"Well howdy folks! I see Courier's friends have made it back to the Strip in one piece, how exciting, I also see a new folk amongst you so let me introduce myself. My name is Yes Man and I run the New Vegas Strip when the Courier is not available at the time" Yes Man said, without even a hint of emotion aside from happiness.

Brian took a few minutes to respond due to the fact he was staring at the screen, having a creepy feeling that the computer was looking directly at him with the creepy smile. "Um...my name is Brian...nice to meet you Yes Man?" Brian asked, hoping he got the name right.

"Well any friend of the Courier's is a friend of mine so do make yourself comfortable. I believe the Courier checked in not too long ago herself." Yes Man stated.

Veronica smiled. "She's here? What luck! Maybe we can finally get some aid in helping you out finding the rest of your vault Brian!"

Brian smiled thinking there was a small chance he'd finally see his friends and family again. "Where is she Yes Man?" Brian asked the computer.

"I believe the miss is in her room on the Suite floor, just take the elevator up!" Yes Man said cheerfully.

With that, they began to the elevator and arrived at the Lucky 38 Suites.

"If I remember correctly, her room should be...this one" Veronica said as they arrived at the door.

Brian knocked a couple times but was immediately greeted as the door flew open and a pistol was aimed at his head.

"Who are you and what do you want?" The Courier shouted at him before looking over seeing Veronica and Boone. "Veronica? Boone? What are you two doing here?" She asked still keeping the gun to Brian's forehead.

"We heard you were back so we stopped by to see if it were true, and the person whose head your about to decapitate is Brian, he's from Vault 18." Boone told her.

The Courier lowered her gun and sighed of relief. "Sorry, I was attacked by a small group of Caesar's Legion not to long ago so I'm a little on edge."

"No problem, just glad I don't have a bullet going through my head right now." Brian said jokingly.

"Yeah I normally have an itchy trigger finger so your lucky." Courier said putting her gun into her holster. "So what can I do for you guys?"

"Well wouldn't it be kind of you to let us into the room so we can tell you?" Veronica said with a smile.

"True, where are my manners" Courier said moving so they could walk into the room.

Brian walked in last and looked around. "Nice place, it beats the bedrooms in the vault." Brian said admiring the room.

"A gift from himself before he retired." Courier said remembering about a year ago when she ended the war between the NCR and Caesar's Legion, taking 's place in owning the New Vegas Strip.

Brian, having no clue as to who is, decided not to talk about it since he didn't want to come off as the questions kind of guy.

"So I'll ask again, what could I do for you guys?" Courier asked them.

"I woke up one morning in the Vault and I discovered that the entirety of my Vault was gone. I think my Overseer opened the Vault doors but I don't know. I'm trying to find anyone from the Vault so I can get some answers." Brian said straightforward.

Courier thought about it for a moment and shook her head. "Sorry, I haven't seen anyone from Vault 18, I don't believe I seen any of their jumpsuits either."

Brian nodded, kind of figuring this was the kind of answer he was going to get.

"I just wish I knew where they went, some kind of clue would help." Brian said clenching his fist in anger.

"Maybe...It's a stretch but I think I heard somewhere that about a month or two ago, raiders were transferring people to work camps and the old or sick were fed to Deathclaws in Quarry Junction...rumor has it that those people were vault dwellers that they found in one of the unopened vaults" Courier stated, trying to remember the details off the top of her head.

"Where is this Quarry Junction?" Brian asked, determined to do whatever it takes to find his fellow vault goers.

"It's North of Goodsprings, if you went there, you should have passed it." Courier stated.

Brian began heading to the door before a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Are you mad? Deathclaws aren't something you can pick a fight with and expect to get out of it alive." Boone said holding Brian's shoulder.

"It's the only lead I have Boone, I have to try." Brian explained, turning to everyone. "I appreciate your help guys but I can't ask you to go on a suicide mission because of me. I'll go alone and figure out the situation." Brian stated before getting out of Boone's grip and walking to the elevator before something hit him in the back of the head.

"You got guts vault dweller, I'll accompany you to Quarry Junction." Courier said behind him, after just smacking the back of his head.

"I can't ask you to do that, you just met me, not to mention I don't want a person getting killed because of me." Brian was going to say more but she cut him off.

"Deal with it, I already made up my mind, as I'm sure they have as well." Courier said, pointing behind her to Boone and Veronica who were ready to ship out as well.

"Guys...thank you" Brian smiled and felt a little more confident in their success, not to mention the well-known Courier was now part of their little pact.

"By the way, my name's Olivia. You don't have to call me Courier, I honestly hate that nickname people have given me." Olivia said smiling.

"Brian Hunters, nice to meet you Olivia" Brian took his hand out and she shook it.

"Just give me a minute to suit up and I'll be ready, meet me outside at the Lucky 38 entrance." Olivia said running back into her room.

Brian nodded and he, Boone, and Veronica walked outside to wait for Olivia.

**CHAPTER END!**

_**It's been awhile guys and I'm glad to be back. This isn't a story I plan on killing off so easily. I can't wait to put my imagination to the test and see how this story goes. Next chapter will begin the trip to Quarry Junction. We may see some stuff in between, maybe not. Who knows right? Anyway please read and review!**_

_**PS: I decided to change the name of Brian's Vault to Vault 18. Reason being I researched Vault 17 and found it was already being used in Fallout: New Vegas.**_


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